The wheels started turning in Darcy's head and the most ridiculous idea began to blossom in her mind. What if? What if she got Lilia to meet him? She could just check him out and see if he was a nice guy. And then she could tell the truth. Or if not, maybe Lilia would get to date a nice guy for a change.
The more she thought about it, the more the idea began to take shape. Even though, deep down, she knew it was wrong, she couldn't help but believe that it was the right thing to do. It would solve all of her problems, after all. She would get to meet him vicariously, and then she would figure out what to do next. He wouldn't be put off by her looks and she wouldn't have to admit that she’d lied to him. If Lilia told her he wasn't very nice, she could break it off and no one would ever be the wiser.
She was so desperate, she was refusing to see any of the holes in her plan. She just saw how it would benefit everyone. Her, Lilia, Fly Bear. They would all get what they needed. What could go wrong?
She picked up the phone, her heart racing and her mind reeling. She dialed Lilia's number and the flight attendant picked up on the second ring.
“How's it going, Darcy?” Lilia answered.
“You know how you offered to do me a favor if I needed?” Darcy said.
“Anything you need. Anything at all. I really want to help you out after what you did for me.”
“Well. I do have something that I think you could help me with.”
“What is it?”
“Promise you won't hate me.”
“I could never hate you, Darcy. You're one of the most generous people I've ever known.”
“I don't know if you will think that once you hear this.”
“Nothing could change my opinion of you. Not after how much you helped me out the other day.”
“Well, you see… I signed up for this dating website and instead of using my own photo in the profile, I used yours.”
“Is that all?” Lilia asked. “Girls do that all the time.”
“They do?”
“Sure. So, what happened? Did you get a lot of dudes asking for a booty call?” Lilia snickered.
“It's worse than that,” Darcy said.
“Worse than booty calls?”
“The website I signed up for was for shifters. They believe they have one true mate. And I found mine. He's coming to Denver tomorrow. And I agreed to meet him for lunch.”
“Now I understand,” Lilia said. “You want me to pose as you.”
“I'm so sorry. I know it was a mistake.”
“I don't mind at all. I'd be happy to.”
“Really?”
“Sure. Why not? But what happens next? Do you want me to get rid of him or what?”
“I hadn't really thought that far ahead,” Darcy admitted. “But I thought you could just tell me if he's a decent guy or not and then I could tell him the truth. Or, if you like him, you could date him.”
“You know shifters only want their fated mates.”
“Do you really believe in that stuff?” Darcy asked.
“As far as I know, they have ways of sensing their mates. So even if I liked him, the relationship wouldn't last very long.” She laughed. “But let me just ask you this question, Darcy. Why didn't you use your own photograph? I understand that humans can be shallow sometimes and some girls try to hook up with a sugar daddy to pay their bills. But you're on a shifter website, and you're doing just fine financially, so why didn't you just tell him you are yourself?”
“I can't. I just can't.”
“Don't worry, Darcy. I get it. We all have our weak spots. You can count on me. I'll help you out as much as I can. But I want you to know, I don't think you have anything to worry about. I'm sure he would like you just the way you are.”
“I wish I could believe that,” Darcy said under her breath. “Thank you for helping me and thank you for understanding. You’re a real lifesaver.”
“I'm glad I could help,” Lilia said. “I've never been so messed up before about a guy and you literally saved my life. I could've lost my job that day if you hadn't been there to talk me down. So where are you supposed to meet him?
“At the steakhouse at noon.”
“You can count on me. I'll be there.”
Lilia and Darcy got off the phone. Darcy stood, looking at herself in the mirror. She wasn't sure if she was happy or disgusted with her situation. She didn't know any way around it now that she had gotten herself this far into the lie. Maybe Lilia was right. Maybe he would like her just as she was. But it had been so long since any man had paid any attention to her at all, her belief in herself was almost nonexistent.
Mr. Whiskers rubbed on her leg and meowed.
“I'm just going to see what happens, Mr. Whiskers. I'm not doing anything wrong, am I?” she asked.
But she didn't want to know the answer, even from Mr. Whiskers. She knew that having her friend pose as her on a date wasn’t exactly the right thing to do. But there was no going back now. She still had no idea what would happen next and she was so confused and beside herself that she couldn't even think about it anymore.
She could barely sleep that night and tossed and turned until the late hours of the morning, when she finally drifted into a dreamless sleep. She woke with a start, her heart already racing and her anxiety on overdrive.
“What am I doing?” she said as she sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes. She was about to text Lilia and tell her to forget the whole thing and just stand him up. But then when she picked up her phone, she saw a text from Fly Bear telling her how much he was looking forward to meeting her later that day.
She growled at herself and threw the phone to the end of the bed, disturbing Mr. Whiskers. Darcy had never done anything this duplicitous in her entire life, and the guilt was almost too much to bear. She felt terrible for deceiving Fly Bear, for using Lilia, for her own terrible self-esteem. But the guilt didn't give her any more confidence.
Chapter 5
Rider woke up bright and early the next day in his hotel room. He climbed out of bed, yawned, stretched, and dropped to the floor to do a hundred push-ups. He was so pumped to meet his fated mate. Despite his misgivings, he knew that he was already completely smitten with her. Max and Hawk were probably right — he was just nervous about settling down with his mate.
It was natural for a man who'd been a bachelor all his life to have that kind of reaction when faced with the prospect of changing so suddenly. But he knew he was ready for it. And even though he wasn't sure what was wrong and what was making him feel off, he knew meeting Darcy would be one of the most exciting moments of his life.
After his morning exercise routine, he went to the shower to wash and dress and get ready for the day.
He arrived at the airport at seven sharp and was immediately greeted by his local contacts from the FBI and Homeland security. They met in a private office in the airport where he would receive the rest of his debriefing.
“I'm Agent Black and I will be giving you the rundown of our current intel on the hyena terrorist situation,” the FBI agent informed him. The man was wearing a sharp black suit with an earpiece and sunglasses even indoors. The Homeland Security agent, who introduced herself as Diana Rowe, wore a beige suit and pink silk shirt. They sat at the empty table and the two agents dropped several folders onto the table in front of him. Agent Black flipped open his folder and proceeded to explain the contents.
“These hyena shifters have been spotted numerous times on flights through this airport. We have reason to believe they are part of an established terrorist cell that is responsible for multiple airport attacks, at home and abroad. This man was also seen near the last airport bombing in Paris. We know they have taken up residence in Denver and suspect they are planning a similar attack sometime soon.”
Agent Black and Agent Rowe went on to describe and explain the other suspects in the investigation. There was a collection of a dozen hyenas who were on the national security watch list who'd been recently identified in Colorado.
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“Many of the markers present in the Paris attacks are also present here,” Agent Rowe explained. “They take up residence in a local suburb, posing as ordinary citizens, and within six months of arriving, there's a bombing,” she explained. “We were late in identifying our primary suspects and it appears as if they have been in the area for approximately five and a half months. If they are going to follow their typical MO, then time is of the essence. We need hard evidence that they are planning an attack. All surveillance efforts have failed. But two of these men—” She pointed at the folders. “—are taking frequent business trips through this airport. You will be set up as a pilot for the airline they most frequently use. We need you to find the evidence to take them down.”
“What if we miss something and they bomb the plane?” Rider asked.
“They have not bombed any flights so far. Only airports. So we can assume that they will continue with this tactic. But it is possible,” Agent Black explained. “If anything happens during one of your flights, you will be there to intervene.”
“Understood,” Rider said.
“All that's left is to get you your uniform and set you up with your schedule,” Agent Rowe said.
For the next few hours, Rider was introduced to his coworkers as the new pilot and given a rundown of the flights and planes.
He knew this was an extremely important mission. Maybe one of the most important of his life. Civilian lives were at stake and he couldn't afford to make any mistakes. But as soon as he was done with his training, he turned on his phone and checked to see if there were any messages from Darcy.
“Can't wait to see you,” a message read.
His heart fluttered like a teenager, and he smiled in spite of himself. He typed a message back. “I'm on my way.”
He strode down the concourse. He had dressed in his uniform since his first flight was right after lunch. The name tag on the uniform had his assumed name, and he felt a slight pang of guilt for introducing himself as something that he wasn't. But after his mission, he knew that he and his mate would work everything out. He could have put off meeting her, but his desire to be with her was too strong to be denied.
He walked into the restaurant and immediately smelled her scent. His inner grizzly stood up on his hind legs and growled, scratching at the backs of Rider's eyes.
“Down, boy,” he muttered to himself. His inner bear was in a tizzy.
Then he saw her. The woman from the photograph. He did a double take. The scent of his mate was obvious, and so overpowering it clouded his mind, but when he saw her, he still had the strangest feeling that it wasn't her.
When she saw him waiting, she waved him over and the hostess guided him to the table. She stood and they shook hands. The scent of his mate was filling the air, filling his mind, and heart, body and soul with the most magnificent feeling. He was walking on air. Gliding through the heavens in flight higher than a 747. But when he looked in her eyes, he didn't see his mate. He didn't see the woman whose texts were so sweet and funny. He saw a beautiful woman… but that was all. He sniffed the air and tried to define his mate’s scent. It didn't seem like it was coming from her. But how could it not be? This was his mate. This was the woman in the photograph. What was wrong with him?
“I'm so happy to meet you,” she said.
“Me too,” Rider said, still confused and in a daze.
“Do you like this airport?” she asked, sitting back down at the table. The waitress handed them their menus and suggested the lunch specials.
“It’s great,” he said, not knowing what else to say.
“So, your last name is Chambers?” she asked, looking at his name tag. “I’m Lilia Meadows.”
He looked down at his name tag as if seeing something completely foreign.
“Oh, Lilia, yes, I'm David Chambers. I can't believe we never exchanged names.”
“It's normal for dating websites.”
“You go on a lot of dating websites?” His inner grizzly was suddenly jealous.
“No, not at all. This is the first time I've been on a dating website. I've been so busy with work.”
“So, you work with USA Airlines?” he said, noting her uniform.
“I sure do. For ten years now. And you work with Northwest.”
“It's a good airline. That's why I moved up here,” he said.
“It's such a coincidence that we’re both working in the same place. I guess it's true that fate works in mysterious ways.”
She smiled and sipped her water. They ordered a burger and fries and a grilled chicken sandwich. The food was delicious, and the conversation was pleasant. But all through the date, Rider couldn't help but think that it was all wrong.
Chapter 6
Darcy watched Lilia and Fly Bear take a seat on the other side of the restaurant. Anita took their order, a burger and a grilled chicken sandwich. Darcy carefully cooked their meals, and the lunch waitress took them out to the table. Darcy didn't usually work the lunch shift, but she'd taken over a shift for one of the cooks who was on leave for the birth of his child. Everyone was pitching in to help out.
She stopped and watched Lilia and Fly Bear on their date, trying to get a sense of how things were going. Lilia kept laughing and tossing her hair. Darcy was pretty sure that meant it was going well. Fly Bear seemed to be polite and gracious. He smiled and listened and even dabbed a spot of food off Lilia's chin. Darcy flared with jealousy at the sight, but she knew she didn't have a right to those feelings. She'd created this entire situation. It was nobody's fault but her own.
“Chef? Are you okay?” the sous-chef asked as he walked by. She’d been standing there staring at the dining room for five minutes without realizing it.
“I'm just a little tired. I didn't get a lot of sleep after my late shift last night,” she lied.
She grimaced and sighed and went back to her station. Lilia was a good friend for agreeing to do this. But deep down, Darcy couldn't help but feel a sense of resentment bubbling up from underneath. Why was it that women like her had such an easy time attracting men? She started to feel angry about her past, about her life, about everything. She grumbled to herself while she cooked.
“Is everything all right?” asked Hector, the manager, as he walked by her station.
“Everything is great,” she lied again. “I'm just a little tired after my late shift last night.”
Darcy didn't like lying. But it was something she had learned to do well in her years in foster care. There were many times when she'd had to lie just to preserve her safety and the safety of the other kids in the house. There had never been any way of knowing what kind of home she’d end up in and she’d done what she’d needed to survive.
She wasn't proud of it, but just like her looks, she couldn't change it now. So many times, she had wished things could be different, that she could be different, but she'd also come to realize that wishing was a waste of time. One thing she knew for sure was that if you wanted anything, you had to work hard for it.
She flipped a burger onto a plate and put it on the order counter for Anita. Feeling like she was losing her mind, she asked for a short break and went into the break room behind the kitchen. Darcy sat at the table and pulled her knees up to her chest. A tear slid down her face and she wiped it away. She caught sight of her reflection in the stainless-steel lockers. Crying made her look worse than usual and her sense of self-hatred bubbled up and caught in her throat. The break room door swung open.
“I can't believe how good this date is going,” Lilia said as she rushed over.
“Really?” Darcy croaked.
“I know that I'm supposed to be pretending to be you,” she started, “but I really feel something for this guy. How could I not? Did you see his arms?”
“He is pretty buff,” Darcy agreed.
“I was just thinking, I'd really like to kiss him. If you wouldn't mind.”
“Why would I mind? I don't think he's right for me anyway,” she choked out.
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“Are you serious?” Lilia said. “Because I haven't been out with a guy this gentlemanly in… I don't know if I’ve ever been out with a guy this gentlemanly. Most men are either jerks or wimps. David is neither.”
“His name is David?” Darcy asked. He didn't seem like a David.
“Are you sure you don't mind?” Lilia asked again.
“Of course not. Why would I think a guy like him would ever like a girl like me?”
“Don't sell yourself so short, Darcy,” Lilia said. “Maybe this was a bad idea. He’s supposed to be your fated mate.”
“Do you really believe in that sort of thing?” Darcy asked with an eye roll.
“The shifters seem to believe in it. But I totally feel like he's into me.”
“Maybe the whole fated mate thing is just a myth.”
“Could be,” Lilia said.
“You deserve a good guy, Lilia. Good luck.”
“Thank you so much, Darcy. You've done me a huge favor again. I don't know if I can ever repay you.”
“You need a good guy after the last one. David is exactly the kind of man that will help you heal your heart.”
“We'll see how it goes,” Lilia said, stepping out of the break room.
Despair boiled up in Darcy's chest and the tears finally broke from her eyes. They streamed down her face in big, wet blobs. She had just given up her first real chance at love. And she had only herself and her insecurity to blame. She wanted the best for Lilia. She was a nice girl who deserved a chance at love with a good man. But the cost was giving up her own chance.
Chapter 7
All through lunch, Rider had the strangest feeling that something was off. He tried to ignore it; he tried to tell himself that it was all in his head, but no matter what he did, it wouldn't go away. Lilia was a nice woman and exactly the type of lady that most human men were attracted to.
She was smart and beautiful and accommodating. She laughed at his jokes and made him feel good about himself. Any guy would be overjoyed to get a date with a lady like her. But, as much as he wanted it to, that feeling of something being off just wouldn't leave him alone.
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